Maybe This Time
by McFlytheMusical
Summary: "I don't know Jerome," Mara said, "Maybe in 10 years you'll have forgotten about me." "I'll never forget about you Mara. Never." /FUTURE FIC/ /JARA/
1. 1

Maybe This Time

…...

_Maybe this time  
>It'll be lovin' they'll find<br>Maybe now they can be more than just friends  
>She's back in his life<br>And it feels so right_

…...

Pulling his coat tighter around him to shield him from the harsh winter winds, Jerome Clarke walked down the busy London streets, desperately looking for a saviour from the hustle and bustle of the city. When he spotted it, he had only a second of hesitation before diving into his salvation: the local coffee shop. Noticing that there was a table free, he sat down and began to read his paper.

The headlines were the usual: celebrity gossip, women moaning about their wobbly bits, and, of course, the yearly 'Inspirational Woman' award. Jerome never found these sort of things interesting, but this particular time, the picture caught his eye. A woman with tanned skin, glossy black hair and sincere, sad brown eyes stood with her hands clasped in front of her. The headline read: 'LADY INSPIRED BY HUSBAND'S DEATH'. Jerome knew there was something familiar about _that_ lady, especially the eyes. Those eyes stirred something deep inside him, memories he'd rather forget. Could it be her, after all these years? He read on.

'Like so many women, when this woman married her childhood sweetheart, she thought her dreams had come true,' Jerome sat back in his seat and yawned, reading on, 'Unfortunately for one Mara Jaffray. . .' Mara Jaffray. MARA JAFFRAY. It was her! '. . . her husband was killed in a tragic car crash in July, 2019,' Husband? Jerome hadn't known she'd gotten married. Then he looked through again. 'Her husband, Mick Campbell. . ." Of course! She'd married the meathead! How could he forget her 'fairytale wedding', as she'd put it. He hadn't been bothered to (or wanted to, for that matter,) attend, but the invitation still lay, heavy in his drawer. Mara Jaffray! He couldn't believe it.

"Hey, is this seat taken," a high pitched voice asked. Jerome looked up to see his high-school best friend, Alfie Lewis, standing above him with a grin on his face.

"Hey man."

"Hey!" Alfie sat down

"How did you know where I was?"

"Dude, I have a tracking chip in your phone!" Alfie grinned, but stopped when he saw Jerome's face, "Joking! Seriously, though, dude, you're always here."

Jerome smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Why though?"

"I. . . I just like it here. It's quiet and nice."

Alfie nodded wisely.

"Cool story bro. Hey, gotta run, gotta meet Ambs for lunch," Amber was his long-term girlfriend, who he'd been dating since their school days.

"That's fine," Jerome leaned back and continued to read as Alfie walked out of the coffee shop. A few minutes later, his eyes were shut and he was slowly drifting off, when. . .

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Jerome's eyes rolled under his closed lids.

"Alfie, bro, you already tried that. It's not funny anymore."

"Erm, I'm sorry, who are you talking about?"

"Seriously, bro, stop it now."

"Fine," the voice sounded cross, "I'll just go sit over there then."

Jerome opened his eyes.

"Mara?"


	2. 2

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers,! It really made my day to see all your nice reviews, and, yes, I'm back writing! Thanks again! Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone!**

_Disclaimer- I do not own House of Anubis (yet. . .)_

_Chapter 2_

…...

_Maybe this time, love won't end  
>It's the same old feeling back again<br>It's the one that they had way back when  
>They were too young to know when love is real<em>

…...

Jerome stared at her in disbelief.

"Yes, that's my name, how did you-" she stopped in mid-sentence, "Oh my God, you're Jerome!"

Jerome smirked.

"Hey Mara," he smiled, "Long time no see."

"Yeah. . ." Mara sighed, almost sadly, "How are you?"

"Good, good. You?"

"Erm, yeah, well, I see you're reading the paper. . ."

"You're avoiding the question. . ." Mara frowned at that.

"You want to know the truth?" Jerome nodded truthfully, "I'm cr*p, Jerome. Just cr*p. Mick's dead and now I'm a widow, running an unsuccessful charity to earn some form of a living. So, yeah, just cr*p."

Jerome frowned hard.

"Mara, you don't need a husband to be happy-"

"I know that!"

"You didn't let me finish. You don't need a husband to be happy, because you've got me. And Alfie. And Amber. And the Rutter clan."

Mara smiled.

"You're still in touch with them? I'm only in touch with Patricia."

"Well, if I had the choice, I wouldn't go anywhere near the Rutters, but since Alfie and Amber are dating, and I hang out with Alfie a lot, Amber insists that I have to go see them at least once a month."

"That's nice."

"Heh, not really. Nina's preggers, and always moaning about how tired she is, and Fabian's always sweating."

"Gross."

"I know."

"Soooo. . ." she dragged the word out.

"So, how come you're in town? I thought you lived in Brighton."

"Oh, I did, but since Mick. . . well, you know, I moved here to clear my mind."

"London clears your mind? The air is full of toxic gas!"

Mara laughed.

"The busyness of it all helps me forget."

"That's good then."

There was an awkward silence.

"Well. . ." Mara finally broke it, "I'd better go. It was good to see you again, Jerome," she stood up from the table and gathered her coat and books into her arms.

"Yeah, bye Mara," Jerome mumbled. He couldn't believe it, but he still liked her after all these years. Loved her, even. Maybe now Thick Mick was out of the picture for good, he could finally get the girl that he'd been dreaming of for eight years.

Maybe this time, he'd finally get it right.


End file.
